Darkness Falls
by Driliongueur
Summary: What if Ichigo had been captured by Aizen when he was younger? What if his mother was attacked much earlier in the storyline and that because of these occurrences, Ichigo had to mature much earlier? Some details might deviate from the original story and I will try not to put any unnecessary OOC's. No pairings yet I'll decide as I go along.
1. Chapter 1

Pain. It was all he felt lately. Ichigo groaned, slanting his eyes open, but seeing nothing but darkness yet again, closed his eyes back. _Okaa-san, help. _It was no use, he knew that already. But in the mind of a 5 year old child, it was hard not to lean towards such a thought.

"Well, child, it seems you have awakened," said a maniacal voice, seeming calm, yet having such a sharp edge to it that it cut through the eerie silence like a knife.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?! I WANNA SEE MY MOMMY!" Ichigo cried. Yet, for all that emotion the only reaction it got him was a highly sadistic chuckle.

"Now now, you'll be too busy with me to see anyone else for a while now," Aizen's cruel words seemed to crush the child even more through his desperate struggle for survival.

Ichigo's cry resounded loud, yet seemed unheard by all in the endless darkness that was his cage.

Urahara Kisuke sighed, his usual shady smile nowhere to be seen. There was no place for it now. Not only had the Kurosaki family lost a loving mother and wife but also their first child. The worst part was that the child's body was never recovered, so if he was dead, they would be unable to bury him. Despite always taking things in stride, bucking up and grinning no matter what the situation was, he hardly thought Isshin would be able to get through this loss perfectly sane.

Grey eyes were immediately hidden by a tilted striped green and white hat. It was something he often did and the people who knew him would know why. After all he's been through, showing any sort of emotion was a hard thing for the tired shop keeper. Yet it had been almost 9 months now since the death of Kurosaki Masaki and the 'disappearance', if it could be called that, of her eldest son Ichigo Kurosaki, after an attack from the hollow Grand Fisher. Even when things seemed to brighten again after all the pain and betrayal, another loss driven by the same man has thrown them into despair. When would this all end?

Sighing again, he decided to get up and do something. Sitting moping around would do him no good.

_Ichigo. Can you hear me, Ichigo._

The child groaned for the umpteenth time. He didn't have enough strength to even open his eyes anymore. However, through his hazy mind he noted that the voice did not seem to echo like Aizen's did when he entered this room, as if it did not even originate from the outside. _Odd. _Disregarding that thought due to the pain, he tried to slip into another blissful and unconscious slumber until that same voice bothered him again.

_Ichigo, you must stay awake. If you fall asleep one last time, you won't be waking up._

This seemed to grab his attention, and he slowly opened his swollen, bloodshot eyes.

"Wh…who a…re yo…u?" he croaked, unable to form coherent sentences after his last 'session' with his captor.

_You have no need to speak Ichigo, for I reside within your mind only. Look deep, search for my light, it is there through all the darkness. Find it._

Though that was obviously an order, the voice did not seem harsh nor intimidating. In fact, it soothed him, its presence sending a welcomed comfort through his being. Closing his eyes, he searched, desperately trying to cling to that one last shred of hope. It felt like forever, swimming through the darkness, finding nothing yet not having the heart to give up. All he wanted was for the pain to stop, the fear to fade, and for him to finally be able to see the light after so long. This voice, this presence, sent him an impression of raw untamed power, yet seemed so soothing that he felt finally secure.

_There! _Suddenly, he came upon some 'glowing' point. Although he was not seeing it since his eyes were closed, he felt the voice's presence radiate from that single point, as if all the power present around him had condensed and formed a juncture.

_Come. Go deeper and find me Ichigo._

And after all these hardships, some semblance of a smile formed on the child's face as he thoughtlessly 'threw' himself through the pinpoint.

He felt as if he was falling. Flinging his eyes open, he flailed "Help!"

As soon as he uttered that simple word, a shadow seemed to surround him, 'carry' him, safely to what seemed to be the ground below. As soon as he was on the ground though, the shadow receded, instead shaping itself into what seemed to be a middle aged man. He had a little stubble on his face and wore a pair of black shades. He wore tight leather pants and was covered almost entirely by a black cloak, dancing in an oddly absent breeze. He had jet black hair yet his whole being seemed outlined by a sort of crimson aura, such that the man was indeed the perfect picture of raw, untamed power.

Ichigo took a small step back. He did not know this man and 9 months of torture by Aizen had rendered him cautious and fearful. The man seemed to notice this and looked a little saddened? and quite rejected from this action. However, through all this, Ichigo could see nothing but his own fear.

_Do not fear me Ichigo, for in this world, the only one who can harm you is yourself._

At that, he stared confusedly back at the strange man. He was making no sense, at least in Ichigo's perspective.

Resisting the urge to sigh at his young wielder's confusion, the man continued:

_I am the entity that defines your soul, the one that is the inherent source of your power. Whenever you feel a certain conviction or you will yourself to perform a certain action, I am here every step of the way. However, you seem to have given up hope and in consequence, this world is being drowned by the continuous rain befalling it. It is my wish to restore this hope to you Ichigo._

At this, the child glared angrily back at the older man. How could he have any hope left after all this? Where was he when he was suffering at the hands of the megalomaniac?

"Then why weren't you there when he was making me hurt?! Why didn't you help me then?! Why now…?" The last part was uttered through a choked sob. All he wanted was to go back home. To curl in his mother's lap and forget everything as he bathed in her presence. It seemed however that even the parts that were part of him didn't want to help. He paused at that thought:

"Wait" _hiccup_ "what do you mean you define my soul?"

_For your first question, I was unable to reach you simply because your soul was in too much turmoil for my voice to reach you. I was able to do so now because, as death becomes imminent, the soul calms itself to a point of near silence._

He started at that. Death? Was he really going away? Disappearing? Never going to see his father or brothers again? But before he could sink himself into despair, the man continued:

_Fear not Ichigo, for as long as you have me, you have no need for fear. I define your soul such as I am a symbol of your greatest strengths. You can think of me as a part of yourself that can talk to you. _He added such that his young wielder could somewhat understand. The more detailed explanation would come later.

_I can get you out of this prison but you need to relinquish a part of yourself to me._

Ichigo, having been sitting through the explanation jumped up at that statement:

"Wait! You can help me get out of here?! How?!"

The man gave an almost imperceptible tug of his lips, seemingly giving his closest version of a fond smile. That was what he existed for. To see the fire within his wielder's eyes and to help carry out his resolve.

_Relax. Give in to my presence and face forward. Do not give in to your fear. I will handle the rest._

The child nodded. He had nothing else to lose and this man seemed kinder to him than anyone in the past 9 months, so he willingly gave in to his naivety and let himself trust this strange yet powerful man. Closing his eyes, he felt himself come back to his body. However, before the usual pain kicked in, he felt his body being taken over. At first he tried to struggle, the feeling foreign to him, but the soothing hum of the man's presence helped ease his mind enough for his body to be completely taken over. His last thought before unconsciousness claimed him was for his mother, father and little brothers. He certainly hoped he would see them again.

An explosion sounded in the underground facility of Las Noches. Startled out of his, arguably dark and quite creepy, experiments, the octava espada looked up and promptly headed towards the source of the explosion, hand shifting to his zanpaktou. Coming to the site, where already many of his factions were clustering, he shoved his way through to the secret cage where Aizen-sama kept the young orange head only to freeze dead in his tracks at the sight before him.

Instead of an orange headed boy, there was a lizard-type hollow. Although admittedly short, its slanted yellow eyes, whipping tail and strengthened armoured hierro seemed to give it quite a dangerous aura. Its spiritual pressure however was somewhere in the high third seat to low lieutenant level, which was startling since the boy was only 5! Szayelaporro shook himself out of his stupor and drew his sword. Aizen-sama had just left for soul society and he would be extremely displeased if his new play toy escaped. However, instead of attacking like any normal hollow would, the beast just turned tail and ran. Its speed was tremendous and the mad scientist's eyes widened. _H…How is that even possible?! I am barely able to keep up with him! _He thought as he ran after the…. Thing, whatever it was.

All of a sudden, the hollow turned around and seemed to wait. _This is my chance, strike quickly and efficiently_, thought the octava espada as he sped towards the beast, aiming for a low blow. However, as soon as Szayel was close enough, the hollow fired a red beam at point blank range. _Cero! _But it was too late. Luckily for the mad scientist, the cero was still very immature and it only left some minor burn marks. The owner of the cero on the other hand, had used this as a diversion and had hightailed it out of there. _Damn, I underestimated that thing! It could be anywhere by now, considering its speed. _

Turning around, the espada immediately sent a message throughout Las Noches to be on the lookout for the strange hollow. Unbeknown to him however, the ichigo-turned-hollow had already made its way to the vast Hueco Mundo desert.

**In case you were wondering, I decided that Ichigo would have two little brothers instead of sisters. This might change the story a bit but I wanted to try it out and see how the plot goes from there.**

**Thanks for reading and please review on your way out!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo groaned, slanting his eyes open. He felt like he'd been trampled by a stampeed and then thrown off a cliff. His eyes were so swollen that he could barely open them, while the entirety of his body ached. Many cuts and bruises littered his body and his shirt was in shreds. Above him, a black starless sky, where a single crescent moon was present, lie above a seemingly eternal desert.

Fear started to well up within the child. _I'm alone and I don't know where I am. What am I going to do?! _However, before he started to panic, the now familiar voice of the man he had previously encountered intercepted his thoughts.

_Worry not Ichigo, for you instinctively know your way around. Let us lead you._

Being such a young child, he did not notice the change from "I" to "us", and just trusted in the man's orders. However, as he started walking, he noticed a slight weight on his head. Pulling up his hands, he tried to remove whatever it was that was on his head, yet it seemed stuck.

_Don't touch that Ichigo. It is only there so that the other hollows don't attack you or think that you are human. I have also let as much spiritual pressure as we have out of your body so that hollows will stay out of your way. They are creatures of instinct and they will not confront something that is more powerful than them._

"Spiritual pressure? Hollows? Wha….?" The poor child's brain was starting to spin at the overload of new information. His inner spirit, however, not one for impatience, started explaining while the child unknowingly walked fueled by the instinct given to him by the old man.

_Spiritual pressure, or spiritual energy in this case, is the energy released from your body. Each person has a definite signature of spiritual energy so that you can identify them and separate them from other individuals at a distance. This spirit energy creates a spiritual pressure, where if you are strong enough, you can put physical pressure on your opponent simply by using that energy. In short, it will feel like they are walking through water, and if you're strong enough, it will pin them to the ground. _

The child pondered at that explanation. _So this energy I have is like super powers right?_

The inner spirit chuckled slightly in amusement. _Yes Ichigo, just like super powers. Hollows are a specific race of creatures in this world. The others are Shinigami, Quincy and human, but we will get back to these later. _And the middle aged man continued on, explaining the components of the world, Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, the real world, as well as the different races as aforementioned. The boy listened with rapt attention as he was unconsciously led through the desert towards the Menos forest.

It was raining again, the weather so very similar to the state of mind of the household. A white cloaked man sighed yet again, now losing count of the many times he did so. He was not to blame for this mood. After all, he just lost his wife and only son to a hollow, and he had to somehow bring the rest of his family back together. Of course, the twin 1 year old boys he had left couldn't possibly understand what was going on. He didn't know how he was going to get by. Again, he let a sigh escape his lips.

The sound of the door opening and closing got him out of his thoughts. Looking up, he noticed a tall, dark skinned slender woman with purple hair.

"Yoruichi, why am I not surprised. You never did like to knock." What little humor he tried to put into that sentence failed, as his state of mind could not muster up enough energy to even form a smile.

She didn't answer, instead choosing to sit down beside Isshin on the couch. Her expression was devoid of the usual grin she wore. Instead, she was abnormally serious, given the situation at hand. Finally, she looked up at him: "Listen Isshin, if you need any help, you know you can ask me or Kisuke. You don't have to do this on your own. Raising two children at that age on your own is…."

"No," he interrupted "I will be there for them and I won't turn my back on this responsibility. She d…died and I was powerless, so I need to redeem myself, so this time I will show the strength needed to pull my family out of this." He then gave a small upward tug of his lips, giving the semblance of a bitter smile: "Besides, you've done enough. You two still have the Aizen situation on your hand. I'll be fine." He reassured her.

Giving her own sigh, Yoruichi simply got up and made to leave. Pausing at the door, she turned around slightly: "In time, these boys will require training."

"When the time is right, I will bring them to you" he responded.

The door opened and closed yet again in the Kurosaki family clinic, as the rain kept on pouring, giving an air of never-ending despair.

"_We're here_," said the old man within his mind, "This is the menos forest. Here, you will find many hollows travelling to the real world to hunt, as I have explained earlier. If you are able to follow them through the garganta, you will be able to go home."

After many hours of explanation, the boy's mind was fully loaded with all the information he may need to survive. He had learned of all the types of races as well as all the types of hollows ranging from normal, low-leveled ones, to the adjuchas and even the arrancar.

"But how am I going to know which one leads back to Karakura?" He said uncertainly. In front of him were a hundred or so gargantas opening and closing allowing many hollows to enter or exit. Before the old man could answer, another voice pitched into the conversation: "_**Are ya stupid king?! Just ask, it ain't gonna hurt ya, ya pussy!**_"

Yes, he had also learned of the existence of the other entity residing within his mindscape. Since it didn't seem to have a name, he decided to call it Fubuki (snow storm). The old man told him that while he represented his reason, this other entity represented his instinct. The entity, surprisingly, looked completely like him except that it was bleached white with golden eyes. Although startled at first, he thought nothing of it. The child, as he did with so many other things, just took it in strides and moved on.

"O-Okay then," he said uneasily. Taking a deep breath, he yelled: "Ooooooooy! Is anyone going to Karakura town!" Instead of the expected reaction, where all the hollows would turn to look at him, he was mostly ignored. He was going to try again when a voice behind him startled him: "I'm going to Karakura. But what the heck is a tiny arrancar like you going to do there?"

Turning around, he saw a 10 feet tall horned hollow, seemingly looking like a bull.

"Uhm,….I-I'm going there t-to f-f-find s-som-someone.." He said hesitantly. The bull hollow simply looked at him strange and just shrugged: "Whatever kid, just don't fall off or else you'll be stuck in the garganta forever." Ichigo just nodded, and followed the beast towards an already opening garganta. The hollow created a plate of reishi and jumped on it, waiting for Ichigo to do the same. Not wanting to render the scary looking hollow impatient, he quickly did the same. As they were speeding through the darkness, the orange haired boy couldn't hold in his excitement. He will finally be able to see his father and little brothers! Although the old man, Zangetsu he said he was called, said that his mother will not be there anymore, he was overjoyed that the torture was finally ending.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he saw a bright light in front. But they were approaching the light too quickly.

If any spiritually aware person were to look up, they would see two figures being ejected out of what seemed to be a black cloud. The bigger one seemed to fly away while the smaller one was falling.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Again, Ichigo was falling. "_**Baka kingy! Just form reiatsu under you! Just like I taught ya!**_" Again, the seemingly unhelpful advice proved to be useful, as Ichigo was able to stand in mid-air, standing on what seemed to be an invisible gathering of reishi, or spirit particles. Looking down he recognized his school from afar. Finally, after so long, a big goofy smile formed on his face: "I'M HOME!"

"_Focus Ichigo. If a soul reaper finds you, we might have to explain much more than we are comfortable in sharing. Just follow my instructions and head to the shopkeeper's place._" Nodding, he did as he was told and started walking. Descending from his high point, he landed on the sidewalk and went on from there.

After about ten minutes of walking, he arrived in front of a rundown old candy shop.

_What? I thought we were going home. What is this place?_

"_It's within my memories and I think it would be better if we stopped here before heading to your house, especially since it's closer and we have less chance of running into any soul reapers__" _Zangetsu explained.

_Okay I guess._

Hesitantly, he approached the shop. The door was already open, giving him a view of shelves lined up on the left and right of the shop, filled with candy.

Grrrrooooooowwll

Ichigo looked at his stomach and frowned: "Now that I think about it, I can't remember that last time I ate."

"_Focus, Ichigo"_

The boy blushed: "Right….sorry."

Entering fully into the store, he decided to make himself known. But before he could utter a word, he spotted a black golden eyed cat staring at him. Something about its intelligent eyes didn't sit right with him, but he simply ignored it. _Right, it's just a cat. It's not like it's going to start talking or anything…..at least, I hope._

"Hey kitty. Do you know where the owner is?" He said as he approached and started patting the cat on its head. It simply purred and sat down on the wooded floor, which was on a slightly higher level than the ground he was standing upon.

Suddenly, the sliding doors behind the cat opened, revealing a very peculiarly dressed man. Indeed, with his striped green and white hat, green attire and ghettas, the blond haired man certainly did not look like any normal person Ichigo may have encountered…..especially since he was giving him quite the odd look.

Kisuke was flabbergasted. Looking at the orange haired five year old, he knew that his face must now look like a bad impersonation of a fish (seeing as Ichigo was giggling-not-so-silently). Shaking himself out of his stupor, he addressed him: "Ichigo? Where were you? Your father was worried sick."

Ichigo stopped giggling and looked directly at the strange man and answered: "I was in this reeeeaaaally big desert where there was no sun! But before that, there was a bad man that was making me hurt…a…and he w…wa….was reeeaaally mean and….." He couldn't finish his sentence as he started to tear up. As he was going to let go and cry, the last months trials finally caught up with him as he started to feel light headed, and suddenly everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun shone on a slightly rundown old shoten, bearing the name 'Urahara Shop'. It was not uncommon to see a black cat sunbathing in front, nor so to see an 8ft or so tall man sweeping the entrance. The shop keeper's attire was not uncommon either, however, what was uncommon, was to see that same shop keeper pacing in a nervous way. Granted, to anyone who didn't know Kisuke Urahara very well, they could say that he was randomly and quite elegantly walking the few steps from each wall of the shop in a deep, contemplating manor. Of course, to Yoruichi Shihouin, whom not only was this man's best friend, but was also stuck with him in exile for the last century, it was anything but.

Finally, she snapped: "Oh for the spirit king's sake Kisuke, will you stop pacing and give me some form of answer to what Aizen might be planning?! And please don't tell me you've been pacing like that for the past hour or so without coming up with so much of a single proposition!"

At that, the ex-captain stopped and lowered his hat over his eyes in his usual irritating manor, which only irked the cat more. Honestly, she was two steps away from whipping out her claws and using that blond headed buffoon's face as a scratching post! Sadly, before she could be true to her plan, said man looked up.

"I have looked at it in every way I could think of possible and the only reasoning I could find was that Aizen was trying to make Ichigo a part of his army."

Yoruichi paused and pondered at this: "But surely, he wouldn't be so careless as to let him escape. So why?"

Again the shop keeper lowered his hat. His childhood friend was right. No matter where he was physically, the megalomaniac always found a way to carry out his plans meticulously and without fail. His amazing skill for planning and formidable intellect was just what made the man so terrifying. So if Aizen's plan consisted in having this unique bread of a child join his army and fight against soul society, why purposefully, because Kisuke was sure it definitely was, let him escape? Why risk that this child may leak information? Why risk to let him grow much stronger? He was questioning himself in circles for the past hour, and for the life of him, he could not find out why, and that unnerved him to no end.

_What are you planning Aizen?_

Aizen walked the long, unending halls of Las Noches. At his arrival to the site where the child should have been, he only saw a gaping hole and Szayelaporro running towards him. The espada immediately bowed and apologized: "I am sorry, Aizen-sama, I did not know the child had such powers. I had thought that the walls of the cage where reinforced with reishi so as to not let him escape but I didn't…"

The pink haired man was cut off by his superior's low chuckle and he visibly shuddered. _Damn, people may think that my experiments and pass-times are creepy and that my sadism has no bound, but this guy definitely wins the medal._

"Worry not Granz, I would very disappointed if he was unable to escape by this time." At the questioning glance he was receiving, Sousuke merely turned his back and slowly started walking away. "All will be revealed in time. For now, clean this mess up."

"Hai, Aizen-sama." As the intimidating man's back disappeared behind a corner, Szayel slightly slouched in relief. _Damn, I bet this guy gets off on terrifying people with a threat of impending doom before letting them off with a sadistic smile and a promise for a continuation of such torture._

Well, it's not like he expected anything else. The man was a sadistic and egocentric psychopath. As the espada went back to work, his last thought on the subject was that this was only the beginning of the migraine inducing plans (for anyone but Szayel of course).

Ichigo let out a low growl as he tried to open his eyes. Why was the sun so bright? He couldn't remember how many times he had woken up in the same manner, eyes swollen and body aching so badly that all he wanted was to go back to sleep. He paused. _Wait, I kinda feel warm and comfy, and I think I smell food!_

At that, the child fought through the pain and opened his eyes. He hadn't eaten in days! What little food provided by Aizen was scarce, and only consisted of dried bread and water. Shooting out of the futon, he was about to head straight for the door when he felt his whole body freeze up, as if halted by an imaginary puppeteer. A mere second afterwards and he was assaulted by an excruciating amount of pain and he fell head first, wanting to scream, but feeling as if he was robbed of all the air in his lungs.

Fortunately, someone had heard the crash, and he could hear the sound of footsteps. The shopkeeper he had seen before entered the room and, with a cursory glance at my state, let out a slightly relieved sigh.

"Honestly, Ichigo-kun, you shouldn't startle people like that." He said as he picked the child off the floor and laid him back down on the futon. "Now what _were_ you trying to do?"

Ichigo blushed slightly: "I was…..um….j…just kinda hungry Mr.." he paused, remembering now that he didn't actually know the man's name.

Kisuke gave a small smile: "Kisuke Urahara. I'm a friend of your father's, and if you stay still, I will be right back with some food"

The child nodded enthusiastically, his stomach now growling more than ever. Kisuke lowered his hat, effectively hiding his amused smile. Leaving the small room and heading for the kitchen, he couldn't help but to think back to the severe injuries on the boy's body. Guilt washed over him. _How could I have let such a small infant be exposed to this world so soon? _He then remembered how all the wounds, even the most recent, were healing at an amazing rate, even more than a shinigami's. _Which means that he might have awakened his hollow side. Not surprising since he was just in Hueco Mundo._ Sighing, the strange man entered the kitchen, guilty and feeling so very old all of a sudden.

As Urahara-san left, the boy was left to his thoughts.

_Ichigo, we must do something about our current power level. If such a thing were to happen again, we must be more prepared to face the enemy._

_**Yeah king! Ya need ta stop being such a doormat and take things inta ya own hands!**_

_Um…you mean training to be stronger so that the bad guys don't get me next time?_

He felt a mental nod from both the occupants of his inner world. At that thought, he was reminded of his mother. _If I wasn't so weak, mommy wouldn't have died._ At that, he felt the sting in his eyes and a single tear run down his cheek. He never had had the chance to mourn his loss and now, with the life threatening situation gone, the pain washed over him, as if someone had dunked a bucket of cold water on him. Then, shaking his head violently, he wiped the tear away. _No! No more crying! If I want to be super strong so that no bad guys ever hurt me or dad or my little brothers, I need to stop crying!_ Still sniffling a little, he got to his feet, the first look of resolve flashing across his face, one of his eyes glowing a light blue, and the other a gold color, as he said the next line out loud, echoing his two partners:

"Retreat and you will age, hesitate and you will die, I will tear the very heavens asunder!"

Suddenly, an enormous blast of reiatsu shook the whole shoten, alerting the other occupants, whom only paused for a millisecond before sprinting to the boy's room. Stumbling through the door first, Tessai gaped at what he saw.

Isshin finally laid on the couch, exhausted from the day. There was the funeral, and then the boys wouldn't stop crying when he got back, and the paperwork at the clinic seemed to be piling up. All in all, he was ready for a long, uninterrupted nap. However, fate was not so kind to him, as just when he felt like he was drifting, the phone rang loudly. It wasn't so terribly loud mind you, especially since it was 2 rooms apart, but to someone in his state, it could have been the most annoying and loudest sound in the world.

"Grrraaahhhh! I'm coming!" Grouchily getting up from the comfortable couch, he walked to the phone and lazily picked it up. "Moshi moshi, Kurosaki residence"

"_Hai, Kurosaki-san, I might have some piece of good news that will considerably brighten your day!"_

"Uuuurrghh…Can't it wait Kisuke? I kinda had a very long day."

"_I assure you, it can't. Come over right away, and make sure to get a babysitter, you might be staying a while."_

Sighing loudly, he bid farewell to the ex-shinigami and hung up. Putting his shoes and a small coat on, he walked to the neighbor's house, knocking three times on the door. There was a slight pause before he could hear the sound of footsteps approaching the doorway. As the door opened, an old woman, roughly around the age of 60, stepped slightly out of the door. Recognition quickly lit her eyes as she gave a welcoming smile.

"Why, Dr. Kurosaki! How may I be of service on this fine evening?"

Isshin gave a sheepish smile: "Sorry to bother you, Tokuwa-san, but could you watch my boys for a little while? An emergency came up and I don't want to leave them alone."

Tokuwa seemed to brighten up even more at that: "Why of course! You know I am always there if you need my help with these little darlings, all you need is to ask."

"Arigatou" Bowing slightly in the woman's direction, he started speed walking in the direction of the Urahara shoten. Kami knows what the strange man had discovered this time. After almost a decade of knowing Kisuke, he had learned that the man's plots and machinations were the key to his trouble, that often become your troubles if you get too curious.

As he approached the shoten, he saw it shake. And, although his senses were rather weak as he was still in the process of regaining his powers, he could sense an enormous output of spiritual pressure coming from the shop. His rapid walking soon turned into a sprint, as he silently cursed the crazy man and his outrageous plots. _What did you do this time Kisuke?_

Not bothering to knock or even call for the owner, he simply barged into the shop and headed straight for the epicentre of the 'blast' so to say. As he arrived, the doorstep to the room was already crowded, as kisuke, Tessai and even Yoruichi were peeking into the room, but were strangely unmoving, as if frozen in place.

"What the hell Kisuke?! If this is another one of your experiments, I swear by the spirit king that I'm…."

He was cut off by a quite irate cat: "Oh will you stop with your ridiculous threats and come see for yourself!"

Grumbling slightly, the dark haired man wove through the two men and entered the room slightly, but what he saw froze him in place.

As he said the previous words, Ichigo felt an unbelievable amount of energy surge through his body, as he felt his two partners hum contentedly. Suddenly, he felt himself falling and knew by the previous time that he was going to the place where Zangetsu resided. _I think I remember him calling it my 'inner world' or something._ When he opened his eyes, he was standing on a sideway building, staring at both Zangetsu and fubuki.

_Ichigo, in order for you to obtain our power, you must learn who you are. By discovering and understanding yourself, you will do so us as well._

The boy just stared incomprehensibly towards them. They were so confusing, especially the old man.

Fubuki seemed to get the hint and sighed loudly: _**Just learn more 'bout us kingy, like when ya're makin' a friend, and we'll help ya out with ya power problem.**_

Understanding flashed through his eyes and he nodded enthusiastically: "Hai! I promise I will try to learn as much about you as you will tell me. We'll be the best friends ever!" He said the last part with a big goofy grin spreading across his face. Zangetsu paused, about to correct his wielder and telling him that this was not exactly how it worked but stopped. _There will be time afterward to tell him such a thing. For now, we need him to be as close to us as possible, in order to be in the best position to protect him._

_Indeed. As long as you are close to us Ichigo, I promise that we will try our best to give you all the power to accomplish your goals. As proof of my promise, here is our power channeled through your hand._

At that, two katanas in equal length appeared before him. One of them was black, with an intricate design in silver on the sheath, and slightly decorated in what he thinks were rubies. It wasn't too fancy for the battlefield, but neither was it plain. The other blade was almost the same, except the sheath was white, with the silver design resembling the form of a cross and the rubies replaced by sapphires. Though both blades were different in every way, they strangely balanced each other.

_**Hey old man, I don't remember the sheaths lookin' so damn fancy tha last time I saw them blades.**_

_They weren't…..I just wanted to liven things up. Everyone likes a little elegance._

The hollow sweat dropped. The swords weren't so heavily decorated that it would be a hinder, yet it seemed weird to him that the very object of his powers had fancy jewels on it, however scarce. But when he saw the look of pure awe in the eyes of his wielder, he just shrugged. _Meh, why not._

_We will teach you more next time Ichigo. For now, you should go greet your father and reassure him of your wellbeing._

Ichigo looked up and nodded, still unable to form a coherent sentence. And just like that, he disappeared from his inner world.

Isshin couldn't believe it. Not only was his son alive and well, seemingly asleep on the floor of the shoten, but beside him lie not one, but TWO zanpaktou! The blades could not be average with the concentrated power they were emitting, so they had to be his powers. Unannounced, tears fell down his face as he rushed to hug his still unconscious son, shaking as he tried to stifle his sobs. Relief was an understatement. The feeling that surged through him as he hugged his baby boy was unmatched, and he could feel all his worries flying away at just seeing his sleeping face.

Suddenly, he groaned slightly, blinking his eyes open: "Dad?"

Isshin just grinned through his tear stricken face: "Yeah, I'm right here son. Right here."

Kisuke couldn't decide between staring fondly at the warm father son reunion or gaping openly at the boy's zanpaktou. If they appeared like that, then he definitely at least know their name. _But at such an age?! It's unheard of. The best students were Gin and Aizen and they took at least year of harsh training before learning their zanpaktou's names. Even then, they had at least 5 decades of age to back them up, this child only has 5 YEARS!_ The genius' mind was reeling at the possibilities. _This boy will no longer know a single day of piece in his lifetime._ He thought sadly. Surely, Aizen knew of this potential and had something in store. The war had now a new player, one much too young to play the game.

Kisuke scoffed. _But of course, since when did war wait for anyone?_

**Thanks for reading and sorry for updating so late every time. I will try to make it as often as I can. Constructive criticism is appreciated and I apologize if you find any mistakes, I try to reread my stories but some mistakes just slip.**


	4. Chapter 4

The setting sun shone on the two male figures inside a slightly rundown old candy shop. One, wearing a green and white striped bucket hat, looked slightly weary but resolved in making his point, while the other, with short jet black hair and the beginnings of a stubble growing on his face, looked outright furious.

"No! Absolutely not Kisuke! My little boy just came back to me, I'm not about to send him back to the wolf's den!" yelled Isshin.

Kisuke sighed for the umpteenth time that evening: "For the last time Isshin, it's not like I'm hand delivering him to Aizen. I just want him to get some training so he can face any trouble coming his way in the future, NOT TO MENTION control his ridiculously enormous amount of reiatsu! I mean he's five years old and he already possesses the spiritual pressure of a low class lieutenant!"

"Well you might as well have! He's too young, we can't involve…."he was cut off by a now irate Kisuke.

"He's already more involved than you can imagine! Wake up Isshin! He was just abducted and released for a reason, which means he's now on Aizen's radar more than ever! We can no longer stop the inevitable, only prepare him." Though he was almost yelling most of the time, the last part was stated in a lowered tone. He didn't want to do this either. Sure, his morals may be somewhat skewered, but what little ethics he had left clung to his mind and he knew that training such a young child for a war would bring more guilt than he could bear.

Tipping his hat forward, he waited in the now still and silent room. His friend never stayed quiet this long and if he did, it meant he was seriously pondering over something. Not one to be impatient, the shopkeeper was content to wait him out. He said his part and he knew, no matter how immoral and, possibly, inhumane it was to turn this boy into a soldier so early on, that it was the right thing. They would not always be there to protect him, nor will they be able to counter all of Aizen's plans, especially since they didn't know half of them at this point in time. It was unfortunate, but Ichigo had to grow up early to face the threat.

Finally, after a drawn out silence, Isshin sighed and lowered his head in defeat. He may be overprotective, but he was in no way stupid, the same thoughts as Kisuke plaguing his mind.

"Very well, training it is" then he looked up from his lowered position and locked eyes with exile "but if he comes to harm during your training I swear Kisuke….."

"He won't" he assured, grey eyes shining like steel in what little light was now left in the room "I will do everything in my power to make him into a survivor."

_And I will. _He resolved_ I will make sure this child will get out of this madness alive and sane, with or without me._

After a few days of rest, Ichigo was now heading back to school. In a way, it felt good to go back to things he knew, the sense of familiarity in his routine giving him a feeling of safety. Of course, this time around, he had 2 new voices in his head and 'superpowers', he couldn't help but give a little smile at that, to accompany his 'normal' lifestyle. However, the smile soon disappeared. They went to his mother's grave a few days prior since Ichigo wasn't there for the funeral, and the feelings of loss still clung to him, no matter how hard he tried to shrug them off. He promised himself, the day he saw Zangetsu's blades, that he would keep moving forward no matter what and protect what was left of his family. But try as he might, he couldn't help but to let out a choked sob when he saw the very place his mother's body was now buried. That was it, he would never see her smile, hear her sometimes chiding but loving voice telling him right from wrong or feel the warmth of her embrace. It was the first time that he had to give such a final goodbye and he soon decided that he despised it. _That's why I'm going to make sure that I won't have to say goodbye like that to anyone else. After all, mom did call me guardian._ Again, he gave a small smile, remembering what his father had told him when he saw his son try to stifle his sobs.

**Flashback**

The rain was pouring hard on the small gathering of individuals, all wearing black, in the mostly empty cemetery. Ichigo had hollow eyes the whole time, trying to dissociate himself from what was happening around him, telling himself that it would hurt less. His father sighed and turned to him, speaking low enough for only their ears to hear but loud enough to make his point:

"Ichigo, don't ever let the loss of someone or something block your ability to feel. I know it hurts, but it's alright. Being brave doesn't mean you can't cry or that you can't have strong feelings about what's around you, it means to take all that pain you're feeling and do something good with it, to learn from it and to keep moving forward." He then turned away from his son, for he too was not immune to the feelings of loss. Ichigo did not need to see the weakness in his eyes: "The best way to remember your mother, is through her laughter, the time spent together and the happiness invoked by her. That is exactly how she would have liked us to remember her, because she would never want for us to be hurt, right?"

He turned back to his son as the question hung in the now heavy atmosphere. Ichigo closed his eyes tight, trying to shrug off the pain and remembering the good times he had with is mom. Turning toward his father, he gave a small smile and nodded.

**End of flashback**

"Hey Ichigo!"

Turning to see who had called him, he gave a small wave back at the approaching figure of his friend Tatsuki.

"Hey Tatsuki."

Tatsuki's enthusiasm was cut short at the glum demeanor coming from her friend. They were now in the middle of the preeschool's yard and she was wondering why he had been immobile for the past few minutes, his eyes set on the sky, lost in thought. She heard about what happened and now remembered what her mother told her to say:

"I'm sorry about your mama, Ichigo."

Ichigo seemed shocked for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as if he believed she could read minds, but shook his head and recovered. He gave a small smile to his kickboxing friend and replied:

"Thanks. Let's go inside now okay?"

Tatsuki nodded and they proceeded in silence towards the building where the teacher was ushering them.

Fifteen minutes later found the two friends sitting in the classroom, listening to their teacher.

"Now I know you're excited since from today, there is only 5 days until summer break. After that, you will be big enough to go to elementary school!"

Many exclamations could be heard from the children around him. The teacher continued on, asking the children what their plans would be for the summer. He zoned out then, knowing what HE would be doing during the summer.

**Flashback**

After he woke up from having spoken with his zanpaktou, he walked out of the room to find his father. Although the shoten was pretty small, he had a hard time finding his bearings until a black cat appeared seemingly out of nowhere. However, what it did afterwards really put the icing on the cake on the total weirdness now surrounding his life:

"Hey kid, seems you're up. Looking for your father?" the cat spoke in a low baritone voice.

"Wha…y…you-you just talked!" eyes wide, the 5 year-old stared for a while before his demeanor completely changed: "That's so cool! So can you do anything else?! Like tricks, or-or telling jokes, or maybe even…"

The kid kept on babbling, throwing one question after the other without leaving a change for the 'cat' to answer them. Yoruichi mentally shook her head while she outwardly sweat dropped. _This kid… At least I know he can handle shock in some way. _Sighing lightly, she interrupted him:

"Questions later, right now I think you need to see your father."

Miffed about being cut off, Ichigo was about to protest until the desire to see his only living parent overruled his curiosity and he simply nodded. The cat turned away and started walking, expecting the kid to follow. And follow he did. Soon, they arrived in a small room, undecorated except for a low table and cushions meant to be sat upon and a cat shaped clock on the wall. There was also a wooden showcase with different bottles in it at the opposite corner of the rrom. At the table sat his father and the man who helped him. _Kisuke Urahara I think his name was. _Seeing his father, the boy ran up to him and hugged him. Isshin only smiled sadly and hugged him back for a minute or so before gently pushing him away:

"Listen, Ichigo, there's something I need to tell you."

Blinking curiously at his father's tone, Ichigo let go of him and instead sat beside him on a cushion. Looking up, he waited patiently for Isshin to continue.

"You know that the person who took you away was a really bad guy right?" He waited for his son's nod before he continued. "Well, you know I would do anything to protect you and I will stand by you no matter what, right?" Again the boy nodded and Kisuke gave his old friend a look that said _Get on with it!_ "Well, maybe one day I won't be able to help you and I need you to know how to help yourself. I need you to learn how to protect yourself so that if the bad guy comes again, you won't be hurt like you were this time. Do you understand Ichigo?"

The orange headed boy looked down in thought. A few seconds passed by while the adults sat with bated breath, waiting for any reaction. Suddenly, Ichigo looked up with as much determination he could muster in his early age and spoke:

"Hai, Otou-san. Me and Zangetsu already spoke about this. I want to get really strong so next time I can protect everyone!"

Isshin looked at his with a little bit of shock before a big, proud grin appeared on his face. Bringing his son into another hug, he couldn't help but think. _We'll be alright Masaki. He's going to grow up strong._

Although the scene in front of him was touching, Kisuke couldn't help a calculating gleam to cross over his features. Waving the fan in front of his face to hide it, his mind started running a mile a minute. _So he HAS spoken to his zanpaktou and obviously knows its name. He's obviously a prodigy but how far will he go? I guess there's only one way to find out._

**End of flashback**

Ichigo shrugged out of his trance-like state when he felt people moving around him. He didn't listen so he didn't know what they were doing. Turning towards the teacher, he saw she was slowly approaching him.

"Hey Ichigo. I'm sorry about your mama. If there's anything you need, just tell me okay?"

He simply nodded and gave a small smile. _Seems like nodding and smiling is the only way people will think you're okay. _

_**Dey just tryin' ta be proper kid. Don't worry so much 'bout them!**_

_Hai, you're right Fubuki. As long as I get stronger, what other people think doesn't matter._

And like that, the day went on, the world around him continuing to turn, as if nothing had happened.

The final week of school passed and it was finally time for his first training session with Urahara-san. He knew how important and serious this would be, yet he couldn't help but feel this giddy childish excited feeling to show on his features. He had been talking to his two spirits more often as of late and he was really looking forward to fighting with them and learn more about them on general. With everyone's pitying glances and sad demeanors whenever he tried to start a conversation, he had felt rather lonely. He may be young, but even he could not help but notice the change in attitude every time he came up to someone, or how the whispering would suddenly quiet when he came within earshot. Eventually, he gave up on socialising and decided that the 'friends' he had in his head were enough and instead amused himself with their company.

Walking towards the shoten, he was internally wondering if he should knock or not. His father wanted to come with him but after a small argument, in which he reminded his father that he would not be alone and that Zangetsu would be there to show him the way, the man relented.

However, before he could think more on the 'knocking or not' dilemma, the shogi doors suddenly opened, revealing and 8 foot tall man, dark skinned with a mustache and square glasses. He had seen the man before very briefly when he helped heal him or gave him some juice and his father and Urahara-san some tea.

"Um…hello Tessai-san…um…I.." he fidgeted, a little shy in the presence of such an imposing man, even though he knew through previous experiences that the man would do him no harm. These months spent with Aizen had made him a little more wary of the people he talked to nowadays.

The large man simply gave a small reassuring smile: "Hai, Ichigo-dono. You're here for your first training session. Please come in, the boss will be with you in a moment."

Nodding silently, the boy went inside and waited patiently. He did not have to do so long as, a few seconds later, another set of shogi doors opened to reveal Kisuke Urahara, in his usual attire, his hat worn a little higher so as to not frighten the child by hiding his eyes.

"Maa, Ichigo-kun, how nice to see you! Come on in, let me show you the training ground."

Ichigo blinked in confusion, but followed the crazy shopkeeper nonetheless. _But this place is tiny, how could there be a place big enough for us to practice fighting?_

_Ichigo, it is important to never judge a book by its cover._

Still confused, the boy heard his other, brasher partner sigh dramatically.

_**What he means aibou, is that ya shouldn't sappose that sameone or samething is a way or the other just by tha way they look!**_

_Ooooooh! Ok I get!_

Smiling, Ichigo was now curious as to what his new teacher would be showing him. They soon arrived to a trap door. Urahara kneeled and lifted the door so as to open it completely and turned towards the boy:

"Now Ichigo-kun, watch you step and go down slowly okay?"

The shopkeeper waited for a nod before he himself JUMPED in! Surprised beyond words, Ichigo ran to the trap door and looked down. All he could see was a seemingly endless ladder that descended towards a rocky ground. Besides it was a totally intact and waving Urahara. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he remembered the shopkeeper's words and started to descend slowly, careful so as to not fall.

A few minutes later found teacher and student facing each other on the rocky terrain that was the training grounds. Ichigo was surprised to find that the ceiling simulated the sky and that it felt that they were constantly outside. "Now Ichigo-kun," his teacher brought him back from his reverie, "I suppose your zanpaktou already told about reiatsu and reiroku, right?"

Thinking back to the vast amount of information that Zangetsu had told him, he nodded absentmindedly. Taking it as his cue, Kisuke continued:

"Well then, it seems Zangetsu is helping you to keep that reiatsu in nice and controlled but first, you need to learn how to control it yourself."

"How do I do that?"

"Well start by closing your eyes, it sometimes helps you to concentrate."

Ichigo did so.

"Alright then. Now, try to find that energy that is Zangetsu within your soul but don't 'touch' it, just find it."

It took a little bit more time to do so but, as he had already communicated with his zanpaktou, he did that easily enough.

"Now what?"

"Now, usually, to enter your inner world, you would have to 'jump' into that energy or direct yourself towards it. But this time, try to simply grab it and let it spread through your body."

'Looking' at the metaphorical light that was his energy, Ichigo mentally reach out and touched it. The effects were instantaneous. Warmth spread through his entire body and he felt a sort of tingling on the tip of his fingers and travelling over his arms. Soon enough, he felt the energy start to surround his body and release towards his surroundings. Opening his eyes, he noticed a sort of blue lining to his energy, as if his own reiatsu had a color. In response to his silent question, the older of his mental companions responded:

_This 'color' Ichigo is only a way for your mind to process spiritual signature or, in other words, what makes a person who they are. The color that you see is your own signature, although truly, reiatsu does not have a color._

Slightly confused but understanding the general idea, Ichigo refocused his attention to Kisuke, who seemed to be regarding him with great intensity, his fan now waving in front of his face.

In actuality, Kisuke was slightly shocked at the amount of spiritual energy that the boy released. _That's amazing. At this rate, we'll be able to get the boy to captain level in no time. Hopefully it will be quick enough._ The last thought, he noticed, was muttered aloud, although quite low.

"Alright Ichigo-kun. Now I want you to gather the energy all around you and form an imaginary cloak, and then put it on yourself."

This one action however took a little while longer and, an hour and a half later, a panting Kurosaki Ichigo finally had his reiatsu tucked in properly. At a nod from his teacher, he cut the way to his spiritual energy and fell back on the ground, sweaty and exhausted.

Slowly approaching, Kisuke decided to let the boy rest a little. _Well, compared to everything else, it seems his spiritual control is lacking. This means I should probably start by teaching the boy some kido._

"Um…Urahara-sensei?"

Looking up, Kisuke looked at him questioningly, while chuckling inwardly. _Ha ha…Sensei, Yoruichi's going to have a laugh._

"When am I going to learn how to use Zangetsu's blades?"

Sighing, Kisuke couldn't say that he didn't expect such a question. Everyone is quite eager to skip steps. _But in his case, doing so may prove fatal to his health, considering the massive amount of reiatsu he has._

"I understand you're excited Ichigo-kun, but as you have to learn to walk before you learn to run, you also have to learn the basics before getting to the more advanced lessons."

Seeing the boy pout, Kisuke sighed again. "Now Ichigo-kun, do you want to accidentally hurt the people around you? Like your father? Or your little brothers?"

THAT got a reaction, as the orange-head widened his eyes and started shaking his in vehement denial. Kisuke smiled at that:

"Good, then I will teach you how to use your powers without doing that. You have to understand that although these new powers are exciting and fun to you right now, they can also be very harmful. That's why you need to be grown-up to use them, okay?"

Pumping his chest at that last sentence, the student nodded his head firmly:

"Hai, Urahara-sensei! I will grow up fast no matter what."

Giving another smile, Kisuke continued with his lesson.

Somewhere, in a dark room where the only visible objects were computer screens, a glasses wearing man chuckled. Out of the shadows, another man appeared, his only visible feature being his slightly sadistic and very eerie smile, giving the impression of a snake waiting for its prey:

"Ne, Aizen-sama, how come ya let tha kid go? I thought he would be too much of a menace if he grows up strong. Ya haven't prevented that, in fact, ya've given him favorable conditions ta grow."

Chuckling again, Aizen shook his head in slight exasperation and, giving a condescending sneer, turned to face the snake in the shadows. The man in the shadows bristled slightly but did not let it show, except for a small decline in the intensity of his smile. Honestly, if he could he would've killed this megalomaniac long ago. This superiority complex he had and the egocentrism and narcism where nerve grating.

"Oh Gin, do not expect me to tell you all the answers. I'm sure if you spend a few years thinking about it, you will eventually figure out my ingenious plan. For the meantime, do the job designed for your intellectual level."

This time, Gin's smile only intensified and started looking more murderous than anything else, deciding to recede into the darkness before he did something he would regret:

"Hai Aizen-sama."

Meanwhile, Aizen kept on tiping on the computer, mind reeling with different possible outcomes to his plan. _Soon, Kurosaki Ichigo, you will realize the reason I allowed for your conception._

**Thank you for reading and again, sorry for the late update. This chapter was not too interesting but next one will have a time skip so there will be more action.**


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